A regular-season series opener between the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre featured a rare 17-minute umpiring delay caused by baserunning confusion and a baseball rulebook quirk, ultimately resulting in a Red Sox run scored on an inning-ending double play.
Baseball’s rulebook can still deliver moments of absolute confusion even to veterans of the game. During the series opener at Rogers Centre, a routine-looking seventh-inning double play turned into a protracted 17-minute rules check that brought out the entire umpiring crew, sparked animated dugout discussions, and ultimately handed the visiting team an unexpected run.
How a Simple Grounder Triggered a 17-Minute Delay
The sequence began when Nick Sogard took off from first base as if there were two outs when only one was recorded. The scoreboard inside Rogers Centre displayed two outs, creating a scenario where players on the field operated under conflicting assumptions about the state of the inning.
Anthony Seigler had singled to start the frame, followed by a single from Connor Wong. Sogard then grounded into a force out at second base, leaving him on first while Seigler advanced to third with one out. When Ceddanne Rafaela subsequently hit a fly ball to center fielder Brett Bateman, Seigler tagged and jogged home. Sogard, however, was already sprinting toward second base.
Bateman threw the ball into the infield, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recorded the third out by tagging first base to double off the straying baserunner. For a moment, the inning appeared safely over with zero damage done. Then the umpiring crew called a halt.
Unraveling the Mystery of Rule 5.09(c)(4)
Crew chief Chris Guccione gathered his crew alongside Boston interim manager Chad Tracy and Toronto manager John Schneider as players looked on in bewilderment. Relief pitcher Max Scherzer watched intently from the home dugout, eager to voice his perspective on how the play unfolded.
The core of the dispute rested on whether Seigler had left third base too early on his tag-up and whether Toronto could legally appeal that infraction. Under Rule 5.09(c)(4), a defensive team is allowed to appeal a baserunning mistake even after the third out is recorded, provided the appeal takes precedence in determining the out.
“After calling New York and getting it all straightened out, the run is going to score. End of the inning. Two runs for Toronto, one run for Boston.”
Chris Guccione, Crew Chief, via MLB
Because the third out at first base was the result of a runner failing to tag up rather than a force play, the sequence constituted a time play. The runner from third had crossed home plate before the appeal play was made at first base, creating what officials classify as an apparent fourth out.
Locker Room Reactions and Historical Parallels
The unusual nature of the play left players reflecting on obscure baseball mechanics after the final out. Third baseman Charles McAdoo admitted to reporters that he momentarily forgot about the intricacies governing timing plays until he retreated to the dugout.
It didn’t cross my mind until I walked into the dugout, remembering that the timing play exists…
Charles McAdoo, Third Baseman, via MLB
For Toronto manager John Schneider, the situation carried an uncanny echo of a game nearly a decade prior. Schneider had experienced a remarkably similar ruling on July 30, 2016, while managing the Lansing Lugnuts, the franchise’s Midwest League Class A affiliate.
Following the lengthy consultation with replay officials in New York, the ruling stood in Boston’s favor, narrowing Toronto’s lead. However, the bizarre interruption ultimately did not alter the game’s final decision, as the Blue Jays held on to win 2-1 and secure the series opener.
